Wolves manager Gary O'Neil admitted he is closing in on defeat after his side conceded to a venomous Molineux in stoppage time.
Jack Taylor's 94th-minute winner for Ipswich sparked a scuffle between opponents at the final whistle – not the first time O'Neil's players have lost discipline – as supporters vociferously expressed their anger at chairman Jeff Shi and the owners of Fosun.
Unusually, O'Neil let him down after letting their relegation rivals take the points and even though he was given a vote of confidence a few days ago, he knows the consequences of another defeat to Leicester next weekend.
“Every result that comes will increase the chances of me losing my job,” he admitted.
'I'm sure when I speak to Jeff and Matt (Hobbs, sporting director) the message will be: 'You have to be better or you'll be replaced.'
'I am satisfied with my standards as a coach. This group needs me this week. I will continue to fight for them and with them until I am told not to.
'You can be replaced. That applies to me. It applies to players. Change will come if you continually fall below the standard.'
O'Neil was particularly furious that Nelson Semedo, appointed captain last week, was beaten by Liam Delap after 15 minutes in the build-up to the Ipswich opener, although the final touch came from Wolves defender Matt Doherty.
He was equally shocked by the fact that Wolves – who have the worst record in the league defending set pieces – ignored marking instructions to allow Taylor's winner.
And following recent disciplinary issues involving Jose Sa and Mario Lemina, he was unimpressed with Rayan Ait-Nouri receiving a second yellow card after full-time for confronting Delap. Matheus Cunha, who had scored the equalizer after 72 minutes, was involved in a side fight with the steward who tried to pull him out of trouble.
'The first goal was unacceptable in the Premier League. I saw Liam Delap beat up defenders like that when he was under 18, when he was two feet taller than them. Ipswich won't score that goal against any other team.
'I would have taken responsibility for the set piece if the players had been in the right place. It was a very bad decision at a bad time. Two people decided to switch positions to defend a corner kick. I would expect Santi Bueno to be able to cope with the level.'
As for Ait-Nouri's emotional reaction to the loss, the manager added: 'If the players step out of line, I will punish them severely. Being out of reach for Leicester could have catastrophic consequences.”
None of Wolves' woes should detract from a significant win for Ipswich. Their opener was fortunate – after good work from Delap the ball went in when Toti's clearance of Conor Chaplin's shot bounced off Doherty – but impressively they kept the faith even after Cunha had beaten Ari Muric at the near post to to score the equalizer.
Last weekend Ipswich lost 2-1 to Bournemouth despite leading after 87 minutes, but they refused to concede again and Taylor's towering header from Jack Clarke's corner brought them within a point of safety, although Delap is suspended after a fifth game for their next match against Newcastle. booking.
The VAR did look at the winner with an Ipswich player in an offside position, but ruled that he did not interfere with Wolves keeper Sam Johnstone.
'At 1-1 the momentum was against us, but we kept the attackers on the field. The belief was there that we would have a moment to get a winner,” said their manager Kieran McKenna.
'The atmosphere in the dressing room is fantastic. These are moments to cherish. We have had a few moments against us, but there are no fiddles from us as a football club.
'It feels like a big victory. Six of the starters were with us in League One. Every individual has their story.'
Fittingly, McKenna had invited his friend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – himself famous for his late winner – as his guest for the match. “It was a similar flick header to Jack's in 1999,” the Town boss smiled. “Maybe Ole has brought us some luck!”
Another routine change that had a happy ending featured celebrity fan Ed Sheeran watching his beloved Tractor Boys from the director's box for the first time.
They could have celebrated even more goals if Chaplin and Delap had also gone close, although Jorgen Strand Larsen and Cunha also thought they had put Wolves ahead in a frantic final.
Comments